The April 17 episode of "Curious Stories Y" follows the escape drama that began on April 8 at Daejeon O-World and ended with Neukgu’s capture at about 12:44 a.m. on the 17th.
A quiet neighborhood in Daejeon was thrown into shock. On the morning of April 8, news broke that a two-year-old male wolf had escaped from O-World.
On site, the "Curious Stories Y" team watched search crews race to track “Neukgu.” A large-scale operation rolled out with manpower, drones, and thermal cameras, but his trail was hard to find.
Residents near O-World spent sleepless nights worrying the wolf might head into residential areas. The search team briefly picked up Neukgu’s movement on a thermal camera, but he slipped through the net within moments.
The Korean wolf, which had been extinct since 1980, returned through a restoration project. Neukgu is said to be a third-generation wolf born from that process. He dug under the enclosure’s fence to escape. Experts are split on why: some point to a wolf’s natural digging behavior, while others cite stress from pack hierarchy tensions. The exact cause is unknown, but because Neukgu is young and lacks social experience, staying outside longer could become more dangerous for him.
At dawn on April 14, Neukgu reappeared on a search drone camera. He was spotted dozing in a pile of leaves on a hillside near a highway. After days on the run in unfamiliar surroundings, he looked visibly exhausted. He also appeared gaunt, suggesting he hadn’t been eating well―drawing concern from viewers.
Alone in the mountains, hungry and worn out, Neukgu was finally captured near the Anyoung Interchange (IC) on the Daejeon South Ring Expressway in Jung-gu, Daejeon, at around 12:44 a.m. on April 17, and transported back to O-World.
"Curious Stories Y" will air the full, on-the-ground chase for the escaped Daejeon zoo wolf Neukgu on Friday, April 17, at 8:50 p.m.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)